When I told my husband I was writing up a bath salts recipe he said, “Aren’t those illegal?” Not those bath salts!

Whether you’re sore from an intense workout, pregnancy, or a strain or sprain, these homemade bath salts are a great natural remedy to help melt away the pain and encourage healing. Bonus? You can choose whatever essential oils you like for this recipe to give it a therapeutic aromatherapy boost.

This recipe makes enough salts for four baths – you’ll want to add about 1/2 cup to the tub each time. If you are using these to soothe pregnancy aches and pains, just remember that super hot baths are a no-no when you’ve got a baby in your belly. A warm bath is A-OK, though, and an Epsom salt bath can help with the sore back and legs that often come with pregnancy.

If you have an injury, just make sure your doctor is cool with you using heat on it before you take an Epsom salt bath. When you first sprain an ankle, for example, the doctor will often recommend treating it with ice rather than heat, since the warmth can encourage swelling.

For minor soreness or aches and pains, you can soak to your heart’s content in water as hot as you like.

5 MINUTE BATH SALTS RECIPE

All that you need to make your own bath salts are:

2 cups Epsom salts

10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil or essential oil blend

Combine your ingredients in a small bowl, and stir well to get your salts nice and coated with the oils of your choice. Transfer to a clean container – like a pint-sized Mason jar – for storage.

Epsom salts are very easy to find. Check out the pain relief section of your pharmacy, near other muscle pain relief products. Epsom salts are a totally natural product – they’re just a different sort of salt called magnesium sulfate. You can use them in a bath or hot compress to soothe aching muscles, and you can take them orally to help ease some gastrointestinal issues. Just don’t take these orally once you’ve mixed in the essential oils! Not all essential oils are food grade, and you could end up making yourself sick.

The trick with essential oils is that they don’t just have unique smells and properties, but they differ in strength. A little rosemary or patchouli goes a long way, for example, but you can put a lot of lavender into a recipe without getting things too overpowering. Experiment with different blends until you find one that works well for you.

Have you made your own bath salts before? What essential oils did you put into your recipe?

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